A Way to be Good Again
by silentskeptics
Summary: Loki is an enigma. No one can seem to explain his actions against Thor and Asgard. However, all the stories and theories are missing one key detail. Loki is driven to betray his family and his kingdom by his love for a Midgardian girl. Loki and Thor aren't so different after all.


_Author's Note: Long time no see everyone! What's it been? Two years? Yeah, that's way too long. I need to change that. I've got plenty of story ideas; it's just a matter of finding time to write them. Hopefully I find my stride and can give you guys some new updates! I actually went back and read my most popular story, Through the Bushes, today and it really made me want to write again. I was pleased with that story but I hope that now that I'm two years older, my writing is even better and a little more mature. Anyway, I'm going to aim for weekend updates. I'm a senior now so I'm dealing with a lot of work so my updates probably won't be consistent and I apologize. Okay this note is getting too long but I wanted to sum up my absence a bit. This is going to be a Loki fic. I'm working on a Deep Blue Sea one too (oh Tom Hiddleston…). Hope you enjoy it! xoxo_

Unfamiliar scenery unfolded before my fluttering eyes. Dread took root deep in my chest. _Where am I?_ Glancing around, I found myself in a heavily wooded forest. I was dressed in my thin pajamas. My feet and hands were caked with wet mud and covered in tiny scratches. I felt hot liquid drip down from my forehead and trail down my cheek. _Did I sleep walk here?_

I let out a shuddering breath. How was I going to find my way home if I didn't know where I was to begin with? It was pitch black and freezing. I couldn't just wait there until morning came, so I began walking. I had no sense of direction. Every snap of a twig or hoot of an owl made me jump. I hoped I would eventually find the end of the forest.

Soon my vision adjusted to the darkness. At first, this sense made me feel a little better. I could see what surrounded me. Then, I silently wished my vision was impaired again.

There was a figure standing a hundred feet or so before me.

I hadn't seen the figure until now, and it was too late. I'd been lumbering through the woods like an idiot, making all kinds of noise. I froze, sweat pooling in my palms and on my forehead. Maybe the figure hadn't heard me. Maybe this was all a terrible nightmare.

No, no, it couldn't be. The figure was moving. Gliding closer and closer to wear I stood motionless. A cry caught in my throat as I turned to run. Suddenly, a bright blue flash exploded past my ear. It hit a tree and with a crack, caused it to burst into flames.

My ears were still ringing when the next flash came. This time the figure was right on target. The beam hit me square in the back and stole the air from my lungs. Gasping, I fell to the ground, taking in a mouthful of dirt. I was paralyzed from the neck down.

"Who goes there? Why are you trespassing?" barked a deep voice. His accent was strange, definitely not from around here.

My eyes searched the air but I couldn't see. Everything was dark; my vision was completely gone. "I can't see. I've gone blind," I cried. "Please, please don't hurt me. I don't know where I am."

The man chuckled. "So terrified! Have you no bravery? You face an attacker and you put up no fight? You merely cry into the dirt like the worm you are. Pathetic," he scoffed.

His condescending tone brought anger rising in my throat. I wasn't pathetic. No, I wasn't going to let this man get the best of me. "Well you do have an unfair advantage, don't you?" I hoped I hid the fear from my voice well enough. "Dirty tricks."

"Oh," he exclaimed giddily, "there's the grit I adore so much. Beautiful." I felt his breath on my ear as he leaned close to my face. "And yes, I quite enjoy tricks."

He roughly grabbed my shoulders and flipped my body so I was on my back. I still couldn't see him. "Why don't you give me my vision and movement back? That way we have a fair fight," I asked. I didn't actually want a fight. Although I couldn't see him to double check, I hoped I was fast enough to out run him. It seemed like my only choice at this point.

He laughed again. "Human, you can't trick a trickster. How do I know you won't leave me if I give you your senses? I can't bear to lose your company yet; you're not as pathetic as I thought." His voice dripped sarcasm.

This man was obviously into games. I swallowed my fear and decided to play along. "If you want to be friends so bad, why don't you tell me who you are?"

"I'm not from here."

"Well I could've guessed that. Here in Ohio, people don't normally carry around paralyzing blue lights."

"No? I didn't expect you to. I brought this from home." He paused a moment. "Midgardian, if you swear not to run, I will return your senses. Don't even think about lying. I will be able to tell."

I frowned at his strange vocabulary, but I didn't want to pass up this chance. "Of course, stranger."

I heard the familiar high pitched squeal come close to my ear, a cutting through the air. My eyes filled with white light and then the darkness of the forest returned. I could see the tree tops above me again, stars peeking through. I could wiggle my toes again.

Slowly, I pushed myself up and came face to face with my attacker. I had expected him to be grimy and heavily built. None of my expectations were filled. My mouth went dry at the sight of him.

He was tall and thin, lithe yet muscular. He had midnight black hair that brushed the tops of his shoulders and curled upward. He wore a black suit, covered by a trench coat and green scarf. What strange clothes to wear when walking through the woods. In his long fingers was a golden cane that glowed dark blue on the end. Lastly, my eyes came to his face. The man had thin lips and a chiseled jaw and cheekbones. His ice blue eyes pierced through mine as we surveyed each other. He was threatening, yet beautiful.

"No, you're definitely not from around here…" I murmured, hoping my "grit" from before hadn't completely dissolved. I felt out of breath, even though I hadn't been hit by another blue flash.

He took a step closer. "What do they call you?"

His eyes made me feel uncomfortable, like he was undressing me with his gaze. I got the sense that one wrong move could send him into a fitful rage. Yet I still saw weariness in his eyes.

"Melanie," I choked out. "My name is Melanie."

He nodded stiffly. "I apologize for my behavior earlier. I don't do well under pressure."

"Under pressure? What do you mean?"

"You would not understand, Midgardian. The story is too much for you." He shook his head sadly. "And too much for myself at times as well."

Part of me wanted to reach out and touch his shoulder but I stopped myself. "What is a Midgardian?" The word sounded familiar but I couldn't find the right answer.

"You, you are a Midgardian. How naïve you people are." The man smiled cruelly.

"You still haven't told me who you are."

"That information should not concern you right now. There are larger matters at hand." The man paused and looked up at the sky. Sinister clouds had formed overhead and thunder crackled inside them. "Stop worrying about what is over your head."

I watched him looking at the sky, his face thoughtful. "You seem pretty worried about what's over your head. Where did those clouds come from?"

He didn't answer my question. "I've done a terrible thing, Melanie, and I fear I cannot go back to the way things were."

Before I could even comprehend his statement, the words formed in my mouth. "But there's a way. There's a way to be good again."

He stared at me for a long time. "Maybe…," he said thoughtfully but didn't complete his thought.

The sky rumbled again, drawing our eyes upward. "It appears that I must bid you farewell now."

"Wait!" I said, but my voice was drowned out by another explosion. A giant funnel of light appeared from the cloud above and enveloped the man. Our eyes met once more as he disintegrated into the light. I was left standing alone in the dark forest with the question still hanging on my lips.

"Who are you?"


End file.
